All Too Well
by ridiculouslyoptimistic
Summary: When Austin mails back her things after they break up, Ally wonders if they've made a mistake.


All Too Well

She'd been avoiding this moment for weeks, hoping it would disappear. When the package first arrived, she was excited: she loved receiving mail. But then she saw the return address and her excitement was replaced with sorrow. The sight of his name caused her heart to ache, so she left the unopened box on the kitchen counter, deciding she would deal with it later.

Weeks went by, and all she could do was stare at it mindlessly, willing it to disappear. Opening it would mean it was finally over; a thought she wasn't quite ready to entertain. She found it so strange that a relationship could be boiled down to one box.

_Might as well get this over with_, she sighed, ripping back the tape and opening the flaps to reveal the contents within, wondering how magic could be lost in such a short amount of time.

…

"Don't be nervous," he said, shooting her a reassuring smile. "You know they love you."

She gulped and nodded, although she didn't quite believe him. To be fair, it was irrational for her to feel so anxious, seeing as she had known his parents for years. But that was before they started dating. This was the first time she was visiting them since their relationship went public and their dates were photographed and splashed on the cover of every gossip magazine in the country.

His fingers laced with hers, squeezing tightly as he pulled her through the front door of that familiar house. A wave of cold air washed over them as they entered and she shivered slightly, tugging on her favorite red scarf to tighten it around her neck. She remembered that despite the fact that the Moon's house was always a few degrees colder than she liked, she still felt as though she was home when she walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, mom," Austin grinned as he dropped her hand to hug his mother tightly.

Ally wasn't quite sure how his mother would react, but she let out a sigh of relief when Mimi immediately embraced her as well, suddenly wondering why she had been nervous at all.

"I can take that," Austin nodded towards her scarf. She unwrapped it from her neck and shrugged off her coat, only to roll her eyes when he tossed both articles of clothing over the back of the nearest barstool.

"What?" he shrugged innocently at her pointed stare, "This way you won't forget it."

She laughed, leaning forward to kiss him lightly on the cheek and feeling her entire body warm when he blushed.

It was incredible how easily she fell back into her old routines: helping Austin set the table for dinner and laughing out of sympathy when Mike told a corny joke. They conversed easily, sharing goofy stories and antics from the tour and she marveled at how easily strangers could become family.

"Oh no," Mimi exclaimed once their plates were empty, "I forgot to pick up the cake from the bakery."

"Ally and I can go get it," Austin offered, smiling when Ally nodded in response.

Forty five minutes and a cake pickup later, they were cruising down his neighborhood streets back to his house.

"You're doing great, babe," he smiled reassuringly.

She stretched her lips into a grateful smile and patted his knee. "Thanks. You know, this really isn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'm not sure why I was so worried. I forgot how much I love your parents."

"It makes sense," he shrugged, "You've never been around them as my girlfriend before."

"I guess I was just concerned that they would believe some of those ridiculous rumors about us," she sighed, gazing out the car window and counting the lampposts they passed. Rolling down the window, she stuck out her hand and allowed the soft breeze to graze over her fingers, smiling as a rush of warm air hit her face and humming the melody to her new favorite song.

"Like the one about you having an addiction to online shopping."

His laughter filled voice brought her back to reality and she giggled lightly in response. "Or the one about you being involved in illegal turtle racing?"

He squinted his eyes as his melodic laugh filled the car and she swore she would never get tired of hearing that sound.

"I think my favorite," he countered, struggling somewhat for air, "Was the one where they legitimately thought you were afraid of cacti because you screamed when that one poked you during that photoshoot."

She parted her lips to retort, but found that laughter escaped them rather than a countering response. Leaning back in the car seat, she held her stomach and laughed hysterically at the absurd stories the press made up about them. They giggled in unison, their laughter creating a beautiful melody until she opened her eyes to find him staring at her, his expression one of sincere adoration.

It took her breath away. She never doubted that he cared about her; even in the beginning. He would do anything to make her happy, go to extremes to keep her out of the spotlight until she was finally ready to face her stage fright. But she always assumed that he'd done so out of brotherly affection.

Until the night when he ran off stage, buzzing from his performance and kissed her full on the lips and told her he wanted to be with her. She saw stars when they pulled apart and for a moment believed she was hallucinating because she couldn't count the number of nights she'd had this very dream. But when he pulled her into his embrace and kissed her again, she knew it had to be true.

It was moments like this when she couldn't believe that her life could be this perfect. When he smiled at her slowly from across the car and she suddenly understood what it meant to feel completely and utterly whole.

It was a moment of frozen perfection until she looked up to see they were speeding towards a red light.

"Austin!" she cried out, breaking their gaze, "The light's red."

He slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a halting stop. Breathing deeply, he furrowed his brow in concern and shot her an apologetic smile.

"Are you ok?"

She nodded, reaching over to squeeze his wrist before her smile turned into an outright laugh. "Let's get back, speed racer."

He joined in the laughter, driving carefully the rest of the way back to his house. She reached to the backseat for the cake once they were parked on the driveway, but paused when she felt his hand come to rest on her arm.

"Hey, Ally," he whispered quietly, causing her to look him in the eye as she wondered if something was wrong.

"Yes?" she breathed nervously.

His eyes sparkled in the moonlight and his lips turned upwards in a smile as he leaned forward to kiss her tenderly. She lost her ability to breathe for a moment, but returned the pressure, loving the way he smiled when they kissed.

And although he didn't say anything else when he pulled away, he didn't need to because she already knew everything she needed to know about their relationship: they were each other's home, and that was all that mattered.

They went inside to eat cake with his parents and she watched him turn bright red when his mother showed her pictures of his younger years, bragging about how he was quite the baseball star. She found herself grateful for these stories, for these insights from his parents, because knowing someone's past was important if there was going to be a future.

And she definitely saw a future with Austin.

…

Plaid was his signature. It wasn't incorporated into many of his tour outfits because it was difficult to coordinate, so he made a point to wear it often during his down time. At almost every CD signing or meet and greet or when they were just cuddled up on the couch, he wore plaid because it reminded him of home.

So how appropriate that he was wearing plaid the night when she finally realized she was irrevocably in love.

He entered the small apartment just as she'd finished lighting the fire. They weren't living together just yet; it would be impractical seeing as their chaotic schedules kept them on the road most of the time, but she spent so much time at his place when she was in New York that she considered it a second home.

Water splattered in every direction when he shook out his rain dampened hair and ran his hand through it to return it to its tousled perfection.

"It's raining," he announced, as though it wasn't the most obvious statement to make at the moment.

She laughed under her breath and rolled her eyes, her expression shifting rapidly to one of concern when she noticed him shiver delicately.

"You're soaked, Austin," she said, rushing to the bathroom to grab a towel to dry him off. She returned a few moments later and promptly proceeded to pat him down. "Why were you outside in the rain anyway?"

He shrugged, swatting her hands away. "I was checking the mail."

Pressing her lips together, she held in laugh and resisted the urge to roll her eyes once more as she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the fire. "Was that really necessary?"

"I like an adventure," he laughed, humming contently when she rubbed her palms up and down his arms in an attempt to warm him up.

She tilted her chin upwards to smile at him and stood on her toes to press a kiss to her lips. Their height difference was one of the many things she loved about them, because she felt as though she was made to fit against him perfectly.

His arms soon wrapped around her tiny frame, pulling her flush against the length of his body as they pushed their lips together. She melted into his frame, pressing her palms against his chest and savoring the feeling of his soft, plaid button up.

"I wish we could stay like this forever," he mumbled against her lips, his body slowing warming due to the heat of the fire.

She nodded in agreement, pecking his lips once more before parting her lips to say the words she had known were true since the moment they met. But when they were spoken, it was not her soft, melodic voice which filled the air; it was his smooth, deep one.

Her eyes widened and she flushed a rosy pink as he gazed at her lovingly, leaning his forehead against hers and closing his eyes.

"I love you, Ally," he repeated, hugging her close.

She whispered the words back to him, clutching his shirt in her fist as she kissed him deeply before turning her lips into a nervous smile and mumbling, "Show me how much."

No more encouragement was needed. They removed each other's clothes silently and made love on the carpet in front of the fire. And afterwards when she lay with her head on his chest and traced delicate designs into his skin, she knew she would remember this night vividly for the rest of her life.

Each of them had other partners before, but this was the first time with each other. They'd spent countless nights in each other's arms, simply sleeping because Austin always assumed she wasn't ready. And she hadn't been because she knew she would have to open herself up to him entirely; a task which seemed so simple until she realized it had the power to forever change the dynamic of their relationship.

But when he pressed a kiss to her forehead and whispered his love against her hair, she smiled contently and snuggled into his chest. She was his and he was hers and that would always be enough.

…

Ironically, the weather was beautiful the day her world came crashing down. It was one of those perfect Miami afternoons: not a cloud in the sky and enough warm breezes to keep the heat from being stifling.

She was sipping her morning coffee when her cell phone buzzed. Under normal circumstances, she would have been ecstatic to talk to him, but at the sight of his name flashing across the screen, her stomach tightened into knots.

If she was being honest, she knew this conversation was not going to end well. They'd been having problems for a while. Long distance relationships were difficult enough without both partners constantly switching time zones. He'd been on tour on the east coast for the past few weeks while she was promoting her album in the south.

At the beginning of their relationship, it seemed so easy. They spent the first few years touring together and although it should have been unhealthy, being inseparable somehow worked for them. When they landed independent tours and were forced to spend time apart, they would constantly fly across the country to see each other: the few times she actually used her private jet because she generally thought they were pretentious. They would call and text and Skype multiple times a day.

But that was before.

Before she got tired of staying up late to talk to him on the phone for barely five minutes and before he got sick of her cancelling plans for last minute recording sessions. Before they realized that no matter how much they loved each other, seeing each other for a few days every few months was no way to maintain a relationship. For all intents and purposes, their relationship had ended months ago, but neither of them wanted to be the first to admit it.

Perhaps it was because letting go of Austin seemed ridiculous. He was a much a part of her as any limb on her body and a life without him seemed empty and incomplete.

But she loved Austin. So much that she would go to the ends of the earth to save his life, and because she loved him so, she knew letting him go would be for the best. He was miserable; she could tell by the lackluster tone of his voice when she answered.

"Hey, Austin," she spoke quietly, inhaling deeply as she prepared herself for the worst.

"Hey, Ally," he replied, none of the usual excitement in his tone. "I think we should talk."

"Yes," she sighed in agreement, though her heart began to ache, "I think we should."

"I don't really know how to say this, so I figure I'll just say it straight. It's over, Ally."

Even though a part of her was expecting it, she felt as though she had been stabbed repeatedly in the stomach with a knife, and gripped the counter tightly to keep herself upright. She racked her brain for the right words to say, for anything that could possible salvage their relationship.

Because despite the fact that she knew he was probably better off, there was no denying that what they had was magic. They were a perfect match, a masterpiece, the most epic love story to ever occur. It seemed so ill fitting that with three words; it would all come to a screeching halt.

Blinking back tears, she willed herself to say something, anything to make him change his mind, but she found herself paralyzed and voiceless until she managed to croak out an, "I know."

He apologized profusely before wishing her the best and hanging up. And with a forty-three second phone call, a ten year long partnership and a five year long romance came to its tragic end, leaving her a sobbing mess on the kitchen floor.

…

It took him six months to mail back her belongings. Belongings she hadn't even realized she was missing when she finally opened that damn box. All it contained was a few pairs of earrings and some books she'd left at his place a while back.

She wasn't entirely sure what she was expecting when she stared at the contents. Perhaps she hoped for some sort of closure. Or perhaps pain, because it seemed impossible to define such an epic romance with the contents of such a small box.

But then she realized that their relationship couldn't be compartmentalized in such a way. These material objects wouldn't help her remember the times they stayed up all night writing new songs or the days when he held her as she cried because she was feeling insecure. No objects were going to erase the memories, and for that she found herself grateful.

For the first time in months she felt like she could breathe. It was a glorious feeling to physically feel her muscles relax and her lungs fill with air. And for the first time in months she felt as though maybe there was hope for the future.

Leaving the box on the counter, she plopped down on the couch and switched on the television to provide distraction. She was in the mood to watch something light and romantic, but the first channel which appeared was the celebrity news network she so despised. After years of having every detail of her relationship with Austin publicized to the world, she had learned to tune out every ridiculous rumor they reported.

However, she was stopped from changing the channel when a familiar face appeared on the screen. It wasn't as though it had been months since she'd seen him, after all, his face was plastered on half the magazines in the country. Still, seeing his face again just caused her heart to ache once more, especially since they had hardly spoken at all since the breakup.

There was no doubt that she missed the man she loved: she had never stopped. But more than that, she missed her best friend. Not for the first time, she thought that she would give up their entire romantic relationship if they could just go back to the way they were: friends and partners, always.

Sighing, she watched with sympathy as his security guards held back a swarm of paparazzi. Austin lowered his head and nudged his way through the crowd, stopping briefly for photographs when asked before pushing his sunglasses higher up the bridge of his nose and moving forward.

Before he reached the car to which he was headed, he pulled an item from his back pocket and her heart leaped within her chest. Her favorite red scarf lay crunched in his fist and she watched in fascination as he wrapped it around his neck.

Perhaps it was her mind playing tricks on her, but she could have sworn she saw him take a sniff. And she wouldn't have thought anything of it had it not been for the upward kink of his lips afterwards. He might have the rest of the world fooled, but as always, Ally could see right through him.

Austin missed her too.

A wide grin stretched her lips as she grabbed her phone and scrolled through her contact list until she found a number which hadn't been dialed in a while.

_Yep,_ she thought as she pushed the call button, _perhaps there is a future after all. _


End file.
